This is the fourth Prestige session of 1954, the third with the rhythm section of
Silver, Heath, and Clarke; this time the fare is Sonny Rollins originals.

Silver does not play during the theme of "Airegin" -- Davis and Rollins play over
Heath's walking bass, and Silver enters only when backing the solos. Davis and
Rollins each play three choruses (0:44-2:35 and 2:35-4:21 respectively), and they
state the closing theme together sans Silver.

"Oleo," based on the chord changes of "I Got Rhythm," also makes ingenious use of
the piano: again, the horns state the melody without piano, then they drop out and
Silver plays alone on the bridge (0:17-0:26), then the horns return to finish the
melody. This pattern is repeated during Davis's two-chorus solo (Silver plays the
bridge 0:52-1:02 and 1:28-1:38) and during Rollins' two-chorus solo (Silver enters
at 2:08-2:18 and 2:38-2:47); during the A sections of their solos, Davis and Rollins
are accompanied only by Heath and Clarke. When Davis re-did this tune with the Quintet
in October 1956, he preserved this effective structure.

Davis included "But Not for Me" as a tip of the hat to Ahmad Jamal, whose trio performed
it and whose playing Davis admired. The first take is slower. The opening theme
is stated almost entirely by Davis (Rollins plays only the last few bars). Davis
has a nice four-chorus solo, Rollins takes three, Silver two, and the closing theme
is again all Davis until the last few bars. The second take is a bit faster, and
Davis plays only three choruses, followed by three by Rollins and two by Silver.
Unlike the first take, Rollins does not come in at the end of the opening chorus,
but he joins in on the last four bars of the closing melody.

"Doxy" is a 16-bar melody whose swinging tempo is well-suited to the rhythm section.
Davis solos for three choruses, Rollins and Silver for two each.

Davis performed all three of these Rollins tunes throughout the 1950s, and "Oleo"
lasted well into the 1960s.

A month earlier (Thursday,
May 27th) the "Miles Davis Quintet" performed in the Record Collectors'
Shop on 47th Street in New York: "As space is limited, we must confine the audience
to those with tickets. To assure admission, therefore, please call in person promptly
for your FREE TICKETS!